Emmanuel Christian Fellowship - McGregor, TX

If you have not read this book…I want to encourage you to pick up a copy today and read it as soon as possible!  It’s a bestseller and I loved this book!  There is a lot of  “good news” in this book and some evangelicals or charismatics won’t like it because it has TOO MUCH “good news!”  People who love church or their denomination more than God or love religion more than God will hate this book!  But, it is absolutely wonderful!  Do yourself a great favor and buy two copies!  One for yourself and one to give away to someone you love!

See you next Sunday!

Mike xo

Here is the video that Traday created and showed on 8/3/08.  It was too long to stream via YouTube, so I’ve just made it available to download.  It is about 60MB so it may take a few minutes.  Enjoy!

Traday’s Video - The Journey Begins

Numbers from THE WORLD RACE office just arrived and Traday still needs to raise $1,300 in support for her cost while on the race. Please continue to pray and respond as the Lord directs concerning taking care of this need. You may give your funds to ECF or go directly to Traday’s website and donate there! Of course, all gifts are tax deductible! Thanks!!!

ECF Elders

Guys!  Here are a few details for the ECF Men’s Retreat.  Yes, it’s Dove Season and Founder’s Day Weekend, but we chose not to compete with a Friday Night football game.   We’ll provide the meals.  You can spend the night at the Retreat or you can drive it if you desire.  We’ll give you more details and directions as we get closer! Men, clear your calendar as best as possible!  This will be good stuf!

Where:  Olson River Retreat, Valley Mills

Speakers:  Gary Black, Mike Paschall

Cost:  $30

Expectation:  Off the charts!

RSVP:  Paul Allison  749-7529 cellular

Isa 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim LIBERTY to captives, and FREEDOM to prisoners…(NAS)

John 8:31-32 Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, {then} you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you FREE.” (NAS)

John 8:36 “If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be FREE INDEED.” (NAS)

Gal 5:1 It was for FREEDOM that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. (NAS)

Woooo hooo!

Gal 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only {do} not {turn} your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (NAS)

1 Pet 2:16 {Act} as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but {use it} as bondslaves of God. (NAS)

Crap!  Why did he have to put those in there? 

If you’ve ever had a bondage of any type in your life, the words of freedom and liberty are so exhilarating! Most of my “Spirit” days have been celebrations of the wonderful freedoms that fundamentalism, fear and religion attempt to steal from the Body of Christ! I have been an advocate and still profess the Body of Christ needs more freedom! But, there are warnings and stewardship around freedom that requires more responsibility from us…not less!

I was thinking this morning about how easy it is for us to pigeon-hole a list of what qualifies as an abuse of freedom, that leads to bondage or being “owned” by the enemy. The most obvious examples hammered by the church and most pulpits has been SEX, DRUGS, ROCK-N-ROLL. But, that is too easy!

Of course problems with adultery, sexual addictions, prostitution and pornography reek havoc in and outside the Body of Christ! But, it’s just as damaging when a Christian husband and wife can’t share not only their bodies but their souls in secret intimacy! I don’t think it’s a damnable thing, but when masturbation or abstinence has to be the “method” of sexual release for a so-called spirit-filled married couple…bondage is involved and a piece of the marriage can be “owned” by darkness. We are clearly instructed in the text not to withhold ourselves from our mates! Sex can be such a controller! It’s a two way street…we can control with sex…we can control by withholding sex! Both are not God!

Of course the “abuse” of alcohol, drugs, prescription drugs, tobacco does damage to a person’s body, mind & soul! Of course we know this….or we should. But, the bigger question on all of this is simple: WHAT OWNS ME?

I had been a Christian about 4 years. A pastor buddy of mine took about 12 guys thru a study course called “Masterlife”. It was a life transforming study! I remember one of the exercises was to undress in the bathroom and stand in front of a mirror and ask yourself this question: Does my body glorify God and show others that I care for my temple of the Holy Spirit? Well, at that time I was 25 years old. I ran about 6 miles a day and what I ate today was just fuel to burn tomorrow. Honestly…today…I don’t think I would be too interested in this kind of assessment right now! Do we realize that FOOD can own us? Some how we don’t view food as serious a problem as Jim, Jack or a Marlboro? But, food can also be a killer and own us if we’re not paying attention to it’s effects on our health and physique. It can be the “false well” we run too when we get thirsty or stressed or deal with pain? PLEASURE can own us. POWER can own us. MONEY OR LACK OF MONEY can own us. FEAR can own us! Our STUFF can own us! Being consumed with SELF IMPROVEMENT & BEAUTY can own us. STRENGTH can own us! America’s #1 god…SPORTS can own us!   Some are so covered in rejection and hurt, they can’t trust, they can’t tell the truth, every thing gets exaggerated and all because they can’t handle the peace of simplicity and truth!  Some how the flipp’n devil has convinced us that a lie is better than reality!   Excuse me, but the devil just sucks!  If we are owned…we are not free. If we are not free…we are not living the abundant life that God has for us!

So…what do I do about this “being owned” by something or someone? Well, we always begin with repentance and asking God’s forgiveness. The repentance piece has you doing something about your bondage. Turning from one direction to another! Maybe a fast is required to break the bondage…maybe an exercise of our will is needed to bring things back into order! Maybe a dark secret needs to be confessed to shine the light on the issue! Whatever the need…whatever the case…you and God can get you centered back into freedom! That is where the life is….that is what HE died to give us!

Freedom? Yes, by all means! But as Paul said, 1 Cor 6:12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. (NAS)

We would do well to do the work. Agreed? What owns you?

Love you like crazy!

Mike

It’s probably not suitable for children, but the movie “THE BUCKET LIST”  is a must-see flick!  We had been setting up Nana’s Colorado nest all day.  Painting, emptying the boxes that had been in storage the last couple of years, 312 trips up the stairs, 8 trips to Lowes…heck, I was tired and it was getting close to my bedtime.  Honestly, the only reason I did start the movie with  the girls was because Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson were the main characters.  Did I mention that I didn’t really want to watch a movie?  But…WOW!

I’ll try not to blow the plot and storyline, but lets just say if you’re willing to make the journey, it will take you to the neighborhood of your bottom-line.  I’ve been told that I am a bottomline guy so I really enjoy the stimulation and the search for that kind of thought.  It seems that Jesus and his disciples were all bottom-line guys.  They had the unique abilitiy to access any given situation and apply the appropriate words and passion for the given scenario.  Not alot of fluff from any of them.  In fact, give a serious read to these weighty words of our Lord:

Luke 12:13-31  And someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the {family} inheritance with me.”   But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbiter over you?”  And He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not {even} when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”  And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a certain rich man was very productive.  “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’  ”And he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years {to come;} take your ease, eat, drink {and} be merry.”‘  But God said to him, ‘You fool! This {very} night your soul is required of you; and {now} who will own what you have prepared?’  So is the man who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”  And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for {your} life, {as to} what you shall eat; nor for your body, {as to} what you shall put on.  For life is more than food, and the body than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; and they have no storeroom nor barn; and {yet} God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!   And which of you by being anxious can add a {single} cubit to his life’s span?  If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why are you anxious about other matters?  Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these.  But if God so arrays the grass in the field, which is {alive} today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more {will He clothe} you, O men of little faith!  And do not seek what you shall eat, and what you shall drink, and do not keep worrying.  For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things.   But seek for His kingdom, and these things shall be added to you.”  (NAS)

Chilling stuff huh?  It is a good thing to go to our bottom-line every now and then.  LIFE is short and we don’t really have a lot of control about how long it last.  Are we maximizing every opportunity in relationships with family and friends?  Are we sowing into those around us?  What IF we truly knew our days are numbered and limited…would we say it differently, do it differently, be different?  What is your bottom-line?

Mike